BoCo and the Burglar
by bbll22
Summary: *CHAPTER 2 NOW UP* BoCo feels unsure of his own abilities and doubts his usefulness, but when burglaries strike on Sodor, can the green diesel do his best to help stop the thieves and most of all make sure he feels he is a useful diesel once again?
1. BoCo and the Burglar

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**BoCo and the Burglar**

BoCo is a big green diesel engine who always enjoys his work, but often he feels overworked. He has to take care of mess left by Bill and Ben and when Mavis is busy, BoCo takes charge of work all around the quarry. Although, however hard he works, BoCo at times doesn't feel very useful at all. His driver and the other engines reassure him otherwise but BoCo insists that he isn't.  
"You are an extremely useful engine, BoCo. This is extremely true." said Mr. Rock, the Quarrymaster. BoCo didn't agree and just sulked in his shed at Centre Island Quarry. Mr. Rock was concerned for BoCo but knew he had to keep a check on the other engines.  
"Goodbye Sir..." muttered BoCo to Mr. Rock as he walked away. All he could think about was all the work he'd have to do in the morning and he wasn't looking forward to it all. He could see Bill and Ben misbehaving in the distance and he knew that only useful engines could deal with all this work. BoCo knew he wasn't one of these.

Morning came and BoCo woke up to find he was the last one up. Everyone else had gone to do as much work as possible on the Centre Island site aswell as the recently re-opened Anopha Quarry. Everyone was in a rush today as all major jobs had to be done before 5pm. There was good reason behind this. Today was the day when the Duke and Duchess of Boxford would hold a gala evening. The Duke and Duchess knew this gala evening would cause disruption as they'd invited the Fat Controller and Lady Hatt. They'd also sent invitations to Mr. Percival, Miss Jenny, Mrs. Kyndley, Mr. Rock and the Mayor of Sodor. The gala meant that after 5pm, the quarry would be put in the hand of an engine.  
"Mavis!" smiled Mr. Rock. "As BoCo will be out with other freight today, I am putting you in charge while I am away."  
"Thankyou sir…" replied Mavis but she felt bad as she could see BoCo leaving sadly away from the quarry. He came to a stop just outside the quarry and sulked to himself a bit more. He really didn't feel useful at all.  
"Cheer up BoCo" said Derek grandly as he pulled up beside him. "Just look at the positives, you'll get more rest tonight, Bill and Ben are at Anopha all day! They're stopping there all through the night too!" he added.  
"Oh that is good news" replied BoCo. This made him happier and as he set off to do his duties he showed a smile. Derek was pleased.

The day carried on and everyone did their duties with ease, all except for Derek. Unfortunately, he'd overheated again, and was sent to the sheds to let his engine cool down. BoCo meanwhile was elsewhere after taking cattle trucks to market. He was returning to the quarry and soon came to some signals where he was diverted onto another line and route altogether.  
"Spencer is on his way through!" called a signalman to BoCo. "He's taking the Duke and Duchess! I'm sorry about your diversion!" BoCo accepted and just carried on. Spencer was in the distance and was on his was from Knapford Station the Duke and Duchess' private carriage in tow. The pair of them were just relaxing inside the carriage after their wonderful morning spent on their private canal boat. Spencer had been assigned to give the Duke and Duchess another tour along the way to the gala evening which was being held at the old Kellsthorpe Tea Rooms.  
"Another tour!" murmured Spencer to himself. "What haven't they seen of Sodor?" he then complained. Spencer's tour was to finish at 4pm, giving him and the Duke and Duchess one hour to get ready for their hosting duties at Kellsthorpe's wonderfully rustic looking Tea Rooms.

5pm arrived and the guests had sauntered into the Tea Rooms expectant of a great time.  
"You look wonderful!" said the Fat Controller to his wife.  
"Of course I do dear, but where are the Duke and Duchess?" she replied. Others began asking too as they were never normally late to their own functions. It turned out that they were waiting at some signals which hadn't changed on the way to Kellsthorpe. The signalman had no idea about Spencer's urgent engagement and so they had to keep waiting. BoCo soon pulled up to the signals on the line next to Spencer. He could see a red sports car slowly joining them and then all it all happened. The driver got out of his car and headed for the Duke and Duchess' carriage. He broke one of the windows, and jumped in. The Duchess screamed. The man then left the carriage, and ran for his car before he quickly set off. Spencer was still in shock as was the signalman, but BoCo wasn't.  
"Come on BoCo, we can get him!" called his driver. BoCo felt unsure at first but was soon determined to do good and set off after the man in the red car. He was driving as fast as he could and his car was just as determined to get away.  
"Come on Sally, faster, faster!" yelled the man to his car. Sally pushed further and accelerated even more. She may have been a sports car, but the twisty roads were preventing high speeds and soon BoCo was catching up with ease. He'd never gone this fast before, but he pushed on even more. He really wanted to do well but suddenly he lost sight of the car.  
"Where'd it go?" he wondered as he zoomed along. Sally was speeding ahead and soon drew the attention of the stationery police car called Paul. His siren then bleated out and he joined the chase. Back on the line, BoCo arrived at a crossing. It was closed off to the road so he stopped right in the middle of it, that way he was blocking the road for the car. All of a sudden, the car came speeding into view. It was out of control and going too fast, and then it was too late.  
"WAAAHHH!" cried Sally as her brakes screeched loudly. Paul the police car's siren was at its loudest until the thump that was heard from the impact. Sally had crashed into the side of BoCo. Her front was mangled and buckled badly but the burglar had been apprehended.

News soon spread and the Fat Controller arrived with Mr. Rock. The pair of them had extremely wide smiles.  
"Well done BoCo! That wasn't easy!" said Mr. Rock. "A very useful diesel indeed!"  
"A very brave one too!" added the Fat Controller.  
"Without you, we wouldn't have got him…" said Paul proudly. "They'd have got away otherwise." BoCo just smiled as Paul put his siren on, and set off to the station with the burglar sulking in the back seat. Sally was taken away to the impound where she would lay battered and bruised for a long time.

Soon, the Duke and Duchess collected what had been stolen which was only a small pendant of the Duchess' but still pressed on with the gala evening which was a huge success. A few days later, BoCo was still being soothed on his injured side when the odd site of Spencer pulled into the quarry.  
"Urgh, disgusting…" Spencer remarked but soon the Duke and Duchess came into view from their carriage.  
"BoCo!" began the Duke grandly. "We cannot thank you enough for your bravery the other day."  
"That pendant was my mother's…" added the Duchess. "It may not have been worth a lot of money, but the sentimental value was irreplaceable."  
"We wanted to reward your bravery…" continued the Duke.  
"So that's why we got one of our friends to commission this medal in honour of your heroic efforts!" smiled the Duchess as she showed BoCo a resplendent gold medal. Everyone cheered and BoCo smiled widely knowing that even if he is overworked, he is a very useful engine indeed.


	2. Burglar's Back

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Burglar's Back**

It had been some time since BoCo's incident with the burglar and he was still feeling somewhat down in his own ability. He knew deep down he was useful, the incident had proved that, but something just didn't quite feel right still. Things weren't helped with a spate of burglaries along a stretch of line BoCo often went down. The little village of Crossworth had been hit all too often for the police with Paul the police car saying the area had been nicknamed Burglar's Back by the police themselves. BoCo didn't know the people along this section of the line at all, but he felt sorry for everyone one of them that had been affected.  
"It's just not right," he muttered as he passed the area with some trucks in tow. "I do hope they catch whoever's doing it." The problem was that the police were nowhere near getting the person or indeed persons behind the crime. Paul was doing his best on watch-outs to see if anything would happen, but it didn't and his friends at the station weren't doing any better either. In the strictest of confidence, Paul had even admitted to BoCo that at the rate things were going, the police were unlikely to find the criminals behind it, and that made BoCo feel even worse on the inside.

It was a cloudy day when the green diesel next passed through the area and he could see people shaking their heads and audible tuts being heard everywhere. BoCo assumed that another burglary had happened and it turned out to be true when he pulled in at the next station.  
"Swiped, the whole lot." said the stationmaster. "I don't quite think anyone was expecting another burglary."  
"Where was this one?" asked BoCo's driver. The stationmaster explained it had happened at the old small family jewellers, a business that had been around for so long that it had always been there to most of the residents in the area.  
"It's the first time it's ever been robbed," he then explained. "I don't honestly get why they're picking here of all places. We're just a tiny little pass through of a village, nothing more. I can understand going to Brendam and doing this, the same for Knapford, but not here, not Crossworth." added the stationmaster. BoCo and his driver felt sorry for everyone in the village but knew it was unlikely they could do anything. It was pure chance the last time with the burglar they had encountered, so they knew a second time was even more unlikely. BoCo just sighed at the thought of it as Bill and Ben then passed him by. They were quarrelling about some trucks they had.  
"If you weren't so pushy Bill," complained Ben. "We'd be there now."  
"Pah!" snorted Bill. "As if, you're the one going slow!"  
"I'm not!"  
"Yes you are!" countered Bill as the pair chuffed out of view. BoCo just laughed again but was then stopped by the stationmaster.  
"Hang on," he said. "Aren't you the diesel that stopped the robber stealing the Duke and Duchess' things?" BoCo's driver answered with a yes and a wide smile formed on the stationmaster's face. "I bet if you're here when they strike again, you'll be more than ready to stop them."  
"I'm not so sure of that," replied BoCo. "It was purely luck."  
"It's more luck than Crossworth's having, so you better be here." said the stationmaster. BoCo and his driver agreed for the sake of keeping the stationmaster happy and soon they were off again.  
"Does he really think we're that good with burglars?" BoCo asked to his driver.  
"Hmmm..." came the ponderous response. "I'm really not so sure."

That evening, BoCo was returning to his sheds and was passing through Crossworth when he saw Paul the police car. His driver was signalling him to pull in at the station. BoCo complied with the order and waited for Paul to pull up.  
"Good old BoCo," smiled Paul as he came to a stop. "Now, I know you're on your way home but I need a favour." BoCo was puzzled.  
"A favour? What for?" he asked.  
"A colleague's received information saying the burglars are going to strike again tonight. I need someone on the watch-out from the rails," he explained. "Owing to your previous experience as well, you're the best candidate I can choose."  
"Why does everyone keep harping on about the last time?" BoCo asked frustratedly. "It was only luck."  
"Well, whatever it was," said Paul. "It was good and Crossworth would appreciate it. I've got Esther the baker's van staying around too and Harold is ready and waiting for an ariel assault, I just need the rails and that's you. I'll let my officer have a word with the Fat Controller and everything should be right as rain." BoCo smiled nervously, he really didn't want to do the watch-out but didn't want to be rude and say no. Paul was a friend too and BoCo didn't want to disappoint.  
"Night patrol BoCo..." he muttered to himself. "How...novel..."

Night fell and BoCo was actually quite nervous about the watch-out. He'd only acted in the spur of the moment last time and only thought about what he'd done much later. Here, he was expecting it and it unsettled him a lot.  
"I'd rather hope they don't come," he thought. "Maybe they've had their lot now, I hope..." As he'd been told, Paul and Esther were also helping out on the watch-out with the baker's van clearly just as nervous as BoCo.  
"Are you sure they're coming?" she asked to Paul.  
"This contact is very reliable," replied Paul. "I trust them like I trust the man driving me, and that's a lot..." Silence then fell in Crossworth with only the low rumble of engines from Paul and Esther as well as BoCo's to be heard across the village. The stretch of Burglar's Back was nearly at a standstill, only the street lights were keeping the place from total darkness. BoCo was getting tired but knew he had to stay awake and help Paul out.  
"I must stay awake," he thought. "I must..." and in the distance he saw a lone car make its way into the village. Its headlights were dimmed as it came to a stop outside the post office. Paul and Esther tried their best to hide just out of sight while BoCo aimed to be as quiet as possible. Then, a figure stepped out of the car and within seconds they had thrown something at the post office's window. There was a smash and the figure tried to climb in but Paul sounded his siren loudly.  
"Ello, 'ello, 'ello, what do we have here then?" he chuckled loudly. The figure froze still in shock as Esther and BoCo watched on...

"Stay still!" commanded Paul as his officer got out of his seat and began to walk towards the figure. He couldn't tell if it was a man or woman at this point and neither could Esther or BoCo. The diesel's view was slightly obscured by some shrubbery, but he still could see plenty.  
"Oh my..." he muttered as Paul's officer neared the figure. Then, the figure moved and ran to their car. Paul's officer was unable to stop them as the car revved loudly and began to pull away.  
"Stop!" called the officer but it was no use. Paul could do nothing without his driver and beckoned Esther to do something.  
"Er, um, stop!" she called out as her driver then beeped her horn loudly. By now the figure's car was beginning to set off and pull away but he wasn't stopping for anyone. Quickly, Paul's driver scrambled back to his driver's seat while Esther began to follow the figure's car as fast as she could. Paul then called out to BoCo.  
"He's heading towards you," he bellowed. "Do what you can." he added as all around the village, house lights lit up as the scene around them unfolded. BoCo looked around and could see the driver was heading for the lines further down behind him. There, there was a small passover for cars and BoCo knew he had to stop him. Setting off in reverse, the green diesel did what he could to keep up. To his right, he could see Paul's blue lights flashing away while Esther followed behind.  
"Do your best," thought BoCo. "Just do your best." he added as he neared the crossover point of track. The figure's car was still approaching and was going fast. BoCo was unsure if he could catch him so he asked his driver to do something that may stop him.  
"Whatever you say..." agreed the driver as BoCo blew his horn for as long and as loud as he could. The deep bellowing sound caught the figure off guard and he panicked at the wheel, eventually losing control and smashing his car into a post box. The figure didn't flee and soon Paul, Esther and BoCo caught up. All three were exhausted to one extent or another and were glad they had caught their target.  
"All in a day's work," panted Paul. "All in a day's work."

When morning rose, the villagers of Crossworth came out to congratulate Paul, Esther and BoCo on all their efforts. The police were sure the man they'd nabbed was a lone criminal who had done all the previous burglaries, so the villagers could relax once more.  
"I told you you could do it." smiled the stationmaster as he looked towards BoCo. "Didn't I tell you!"  
"Indeed," smiled the green diesel. "You really did." he added as BoCo began to realise that it was now two burglars he'd apprehended and it felt very strange indeed. He was tired but proud. Paul then came to his side.  
"If you hadn't have done that, then we'd have probably lost him." he said. "You did good again BoCo, yet again..."  
"I think it was still luck, twice over now!" laughed BoCo.  
"That's as maybe," smiled Paul. "But you really proved yourself today and I may put your name down for a special award. Two burglars stopped just because of you, you really are quite something my friend."  
"Well, all I can say is that it's another story to tell Bill and Ben when I get back to the station," laughed BoCo as he tried to hide a yawn. "But if you excuse me, I do need some sleep."  
"A hero's nap?" Paul asked with a cheeky smile. BoCo smiled back. "A hero's nap for a brave diesel indeed!" the police car then added and BoCo heartily agreed.


End file.
